Moms rally in Vancouver against clawback child support payment

Gerry Bellett, Vancouver Sun04.22.2014

Women rally in front of the Ministry of Social Development in downtown Vancouver in a bid to force the government to stop clawing back child support payments from single-parent families who receive income or disability assistance.Arlen Redekop
/ PNG

Diane Terrillon leads a rally in front of the Ministry of Social Development in downtown Vancouver in a bid to force the government to stop clawing back child support payments from single-parent families who receive income or disability assistance.Arlen Redekop
/ PNG

Women rally in front of the Ministry of Social Development in downtown Vancouver in a bid to force the government to stop clawing back child support payments from single-parent families who receive income or disability assistance.Arlen Redekop
/ PNG

VANCOUVER -- A group of single mothers demonstrated against clawback child support payment Tuesday outside the Ministry of Social Development office in downtown Vancouver.

The women, who are on income assistance, say their court-ordered, spousal child support payments get clawed back each month by the provincial government.

Tabitha Naismith stood outside 1050 West Pender with her 20-month-old daughter, Gabriella. She said she receives a disability social assistance payment of $1,200 each month plus $100 a month from her child’s father in child support but instead of her income being $1,300, the government deducts that $100 from her benefits.

“When my daughter was born, income assistance made me sign a family maintenance enforcement order so they could go against Gabriella’s father for child support. And they told me if I didn’t sign the order they’d cut me off income assistance completely,” said Naismith.

“Now I have $100 taken off my cheque each month, which is a big impact because my daughter’s in diapers and I need wipes and things. They should end this clawback because the money isn’t intended for parents — it’s for children,” she said.

The rally, attended by about 25 people including four single mothers who receive no financial benefit from court-ordered spousal support, was organized by the national social action group ACORN Canada. They waved placards and a bull-horn demanded Premier Christy Clark’s Liberal government end the clawback.

The small crowd chanted: “Our children need the money, our children need the money,” and aimed most of their ire at Premier Christy Clark.

Diane Terrillon, a rally spokeswoman, receives $207 a month in child support payments from her former spouse but it, too, is deducted from her $1,200 disability income assistance payment.

“A judge ordered my (former) spouse to pay $207 a month to my child and it is 100 per cent taken off him,” Terrillon said as the crowd behind her shouted, “Shame!”

“I already feel bad enough that I can’t give my child everything he needs. It’s not right that the government takes what is rightfully my child’s,” she said. “A judge in court said this money belongs to him so what gives the ministry the right to take it from him?”

Terrillon said the government allows disabled individuals to earn up to $800 a month on top of their income assistance.

“But we are on disability for a reason and can’t work. So if we can make $800 a month why can’t my son have $200 a month when a judge says it’s his money?”

Terrillon was part of the ACORN delegation that recently attended B.C. legislature when the issue was raised in the House by the NDP opposition.

She said the premier “disrespected” the delegation that day by failing to answer any of the opposition’s questions regarding the necessity of clawing back child support.

“(Clark) didn’t answer any questions. I now know why it’s called Question Period because you never get any answers. But I have a couple of questions for Christy Clark,” she said.

“Why can’t my son keep the child support that a judge in a court said should be paid to him? And Christy Clark, why should my son suffer because his mother is on disability?”

Terrillon vowed to continue the campaign to end the clawbacks until the practice was stopped.

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Moms rally in Vancouver against clawback child support payment

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